Summary
A French company, Fermentalg, is exploring microalgae to produce natural food pigments as alternatives to artificial dyes. The FDA is moving towards phasing out synthetic dyes, leading to increased interest in natural color sources like Galdieria blue made from algae.
Key Facts
- Fermentalg is a company working with microalgae to find useful food pigments.
- They have developed a pigment called Galdieria blue from the microalgae Galdieria sulphuraria.
- The US FDA approved Galdieria blue and other natural color sources like Butterfly pea flower extract.
- The FDA plans to phase out synthetic dyes like Red Dye No. 3 and Yellow Dye 5 and 6.
- There is a growing push to remove artificial food dyes due to health concerns.
- Natural color producers like Sensient extract colors from crops such as carrots and potatoes.
- Matching the vividness of synthetic dyes with natural alternatives is a challenge for companies.
